WA AG files temporary restraining order against Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship

The newly ushered-in Attorney General (AG) for Washington, Nick Brown, is challenging President Donald Trump and his freshly signed executive order revoking birthright citizenship — the practice of automatically granting citizenship to children who are born in the U.S.

The state of Washington announced Tuesday it filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s order.

“This morning, the state of Washington, along with Oregon, Arizona, Illinois, filed suit in the Western District of Washington against the President of the United States for his unconstitutional, un-American and cruel action in his attempt to redefine what it means to be an American,” Brown said during a news conference Tuesday. “The president’s executive order claiming to end birthright citizenship in the United States is plainly and obviously illegal.”

Later Tuesday evening, the AG’s Office announced it filed a temporary restraining order against the executive order.

Brown, a Democrat sworn into the Attorney General’s Office last week, called the executive order both “unconstitutional” and “un-American.”

“On Monday, one man, the president, said the citizenship of millions of Americans born to immigrants in this country means less,” he shared. “That the children of immigrants born into citizenship don’t have as much value in this country as others. He is wrong.”

Brown added the executive order would deny citizenship to 150,000 newborn children each year in the U.S.

“That’s thousands of people born here in Washington who would be denied the key to full participation and opportunity in American society,” he said.

Monica Mendoza Cawthon is a first-generation citizen and is the first in her family to have a college and law degree.

“Unfortunately, we are in a dark time in our national government, where the dreams of my parents are threatened to be taken away for so many people in the future,” she said during the news conference.

More on Trump’s busy first day back in office: 30 WA residents included in mass pardons from Trump regarding Jan. 6 attack

Trump issues several executive orders on day one

Trump issued a “flurry” of executive orders during his first day back in office, including repealing dozens of former President Joe Biden’s actions, kicking off his immigration crackdown, withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords, pardoning hundreds of people for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and extending TikTok’s stay in the U.S., among other actions.

“President Trump today signed a host of gravely concerning executive orders that pose significant harm to thousands of Washingtonians,” Brown said in a prepared statement. “My staff and I are thoroughly assessing these directives on their legal and constitutional merits. We have seen only a small number of what is expected to be an onslaught of executive orders, but there is plenty to be concerned about.”

Included in the Day 1 executive orders was the removal of birthright citizenship going forward. In the executive order, Trump is directing federal agencies to refuse to recognize U.S. citizenship for children born in the U.S. to mothers who are in the country illegally, or here legally on visas if the father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

According to Politico, the order would deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the U.S. starting 30 days from now if at least one parent isn’t an American citizen or a green cardholder.

Brown was swift to challenge this executive order, just as the previous Attorney General, Bob Ferguson, was while Trump served his first term. Ferguson filed 97 cases against the federal government during President Trump’s first term in office, according to the Office of the Attorney General, scoring 39 legal victories in those cases against two legal defeats.

“The Attorney General’s Office has spent the last year preparing for this day. Our team has worked closely with colleagues in other states, studied Project 2025 and other documents, and researched case law in order to act swiftly,” Brown continued in his statement. “We are prepared and committed to using the full power of the Attorney General’s Office to enforce Washington’s laws, to protect people’s rights, and to keep Washingtonians safe. We will uphold the law and we will fight when called upon for our shared values.”

More on Trump: President Donald Trump pledges bold changes on first day

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest and producer of the Seattle Seahawks podcast, The Reset with Gee Scott. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.